Monday, November 16, 2015

Where Have All the Real Flowers Gone? Not to Graveyards Anymore

When I was a child there were certain holidays when my family would visit the cemetery with flowers for all our family members who rested there. They were real flowers, most from our gardens. I remember the search for the containers by the graves and putting water in them with the flowers. We lovingly left them to honor our loved ones. During my childhood, I don't think I ever saw an artificial flower on a grave.

In some cemeteries, that's about all I see anymore. I can think of many reasons why. The cemetery pictured above is an old one in rural Paso Robles. I'm guessing that many families have no surviving members in the area. I don't think I saw one real bouquet on a grave. I can't help but wonder who leaves the artificial flowers. It is those who leave the area after burying a family member they don't expect to visit again? Does the church associated with the cemetery take care of it? The church is no longer in that location. It is evident someone cares for the graves to keep them free of weeds.

Perhaps it just seems more practical these days to leave flowers that won't wilt. But the real flowers are a reminder that we all fade and die.

"As for man, his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him..." Psalm 103: 15-17

Do you still see real flowers on graves? Why do you think artificial flowers seem to be replacing them in many cemeteries? Is it only in the West where a flower planted on a gravesite would not get water? Some cemeteries no longer allow people to plant flowers beside graves, and, sadly, potted plants are often stolen.

Search This Blog

Share this on Flip

Followers

Affiliate Disclosure

If you follow links from our site to one of our affiliate sites and make a purchase, we may make a small commission. We really appreciate it when you use these links. It motivates us to keep writing.

Barbara Radisavljevic, the owner of http://paso-robles-daily-photos.blogspot.com/ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

She also participates in the Zazzle.com and other affiliate programs. If you click on any of the affiliate links on this site and make a purchase, Barbara will make a small commission from the affiliated site.

I do not promote products I have not used or would not buy myself. My goal is to help you make informed shopping choices, and offer product information and my own personal opinions or ideas for any given product or category.

I do not currently accept payment or merchandise as compensation from manufacturers in exchange for writing reviews.

Help Your Child Explore the World

Check out Lonely Planet Deals!

Follow Me On Pinterest

Follow this blog by email.

About Me

I
have lived in and loved California my entire life and now reside on its beautiful Central Coast. The
longer I live in San Luis Obispo’s North County, the more contented
I become here. Most of my waking hours when I'm not occupied with chores, you will find me blogging, reading, walking around with my camera in hand, tending my garden, or dabbling in the local art scene. I hate shopping, and do it only if we will starve if I don't.

Google+ Badge

I'm a Survivor

Cookie Disclosure

Our website uses cookies to improve your user experience. These are placed by third parties for the purposes of enabling you to make comments, share with social media, and enable our affiliates to know you were referred by our site if click on product links.

Some third party cookies gather analytical information which is not personally identifiable so that we may know general things, such as what countries our traffic comes from and which pages were viewed. Please do not use this site if you object to these cookies being used.

PRIVACY POLICY

Your PRIVACY is important to us. We do not personally collect or save any information you put into the forms on this site. Since Blogger is a Google service, Google's Privacy Policy applies to any forms or Google Advertisements you see here or any forms you fill in to subscribe to our blog.

Links to our affiliates take you to their sites where their privacy policies apply.

We are in compliance with the requirements of COPPA (Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act), we do not collect any information from anyone under 13 years of age. Our website, products and services are all directed to people who are at least 13 years old or older.